NBAA Update Archive

TOP NEWS

What's in Store in 2013? NBAA's Bolen Looks Ahead As 2012 drew to a close, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said the Association and its Members would need to be vigilant in the coming year, because members of Congress would likely need to find ways to cut costs and boost revenues as part of the "fiscal cliff" debate taking place in Washington. The situation raises the specter of tax increases and the onus of a per-flight user fee, Bolen said. "We know that ideas like a $100 per-flight fee…have been promoted, in some cases, promoted vigorously, over the last year or two, so I think we're very concerned" that user fees could again emerge as a "revenue raiser" in the coming congressional session, Bolen said. Read more in this week's NBAA Flight Plan podcast.

IRS Adjusts 2013 Air Transportation Federal Excise Tax Rates The IRS announced inflation adjustments to the federal excise tax (FET) rates on air transportation for 2013. The new rates take effect Jan. 1 and are valid for air transportation provided in calendar year 2013. The domestic segment fee is now $3.90; the international arrival/departure fee is $17.20 and the Hawaii/Alaska flight fee is $8.60. In addition to the current tax rates, the NBAA website provides comprehensive resources to help Members understand FET rules and regulations. Learn more.

FAA Updates Guidance on Part 91 Letters of Authorization The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently updated its Flight Standards Information Management System guidance on Part 91 letters of authorization (LOA). The updated guidance clarifies the appropriate Flight Standards District Office to which an operator should apply for a given authorization and clarifies that LOA must be issued to the person or entity that intends to operate the aircraft under the LOA. When an aircraft is owned by more than one person, or is leased, each operator must have an LOA unless otherwise specified in the applicable regulation or FSIMS. View NBAA's operational control guidance.

Pilots Should Read Back Call Sign on All Transmissions The Air Traffic Safety Action Program recently issued a brief to fill an information gap between themselves and pilots. In the report, controllers explain why it is important for pilots to use their call sign on all read backs. Pilots often choose to leave a call sign off of a read back in order to be brief and not tie up a frequency. But since controllers are required to verify a call sign so they don't have an error, the situation often backfires, filling a frequency with extra transmissions. For more information, contact NBAA Director, Air Traffic Services & Infrastructure Bob Lamond at rlamond@NBAA.org.

FAA Confirms BARR Renewal Not Required Until Further Notice Last year, NBAA successfully lobbied the FAA to remove the restriction mandating that operators have a "valid security concern" in order to be eligible for participation in the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. When the rule changed, operators were told they'd be required to renew participation in the program, but the FAA recently confirmed that the current interim rule does not require operators to renew enrollment; instead, once registered, an aircraft will remain in the BARR program until a request is submitted for removal, or until further notice by the FAA. Read more about the BARR program.

INDUSTRY ADVOCACY

Mayors Petition President: No User Fees Leaders from more than 115 cities and towns across the country have petitioned President Obama to rescind his proposed "$100-per-flight" tax on general aviation (GA) business flights. The petition was released recently by the Alliance for Aviation Across America. "We can tell you firsthand that (GA) aircraft are a crucial tool and resource for businesses in our communities," read the petition. "(They're) businesses that keep our communities afloat and help workers … continue to put food on their table for their families." The group reminded the president that GA supports 1.2 million American jobs and contributes over $150 billion in economic impact each year. Read more about the petition.

FEATURED STORY

Meet NBAA's Western Regional Representative Stacy Howard When aviation interests in Nevada joined forces to try and get a state aviation trust fund established, Stacy Howard played a key role in convincing state legislators that such a fund made economic sense for the state, as well as for the aviation community. Howard – who at the time was western regional representative for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association – worked in concert with Nevada's diverse aviation community and helped represent its interests to state legislators, who eventually passed a bill establishing the trust fund in 2003. Howard, who now serves as NBAA's regional representative, covering Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico, has 16 years of aviation advocacy work in the West, which makes her ideally suited to represent the interests of business aviation in this region. Read more about Howard in an online extra for Business Aviation Insider.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IBAC Will Provide Input as ICAO Confronts Emissions Policy As the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) High Level Group on Climate Change met recently in Montreal to consider a path forward for reviewing aircraft-emissions policy proposals, the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) said the voice of business aviation would be heard loud and clear on whatever global system is developed to curb aircraft emissions. Read more about IBAC's planning.

REGIONAL NEWS

Economic Value of Columbus, OH Airports Up 69 Percent An economic impact study for Ohio's Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) indicates that the local economy gets a $6.6 billion boost annually from three airports managed by the authority, and utilized by general aviation: Port Columbus (CMH), Rickenbacker (LCK) and Bolton Field (LZR). That figure is 69 percent higher than reported in the last such study, which was published in 2004. The six-month study, released last month, also showed that the three CRAA airports support more than 38,000 jobs with an annual payroll of $1.3 billion. Those figures are increases of 28 percent and 68 percent, respectively, over the 2004 study. Read more about Columbus-area airports.

Scottsdale, AZ Touts Airpark Value in New Video A new video produced by the city of Scottsdale, AZ highlights the $3 billion economic impact of its airpark in an effort to convince more businesses to join the 2,200 companies already in the flourishing 8.5-square miles surrounding Scottsdale Airpark. The video, which features business owners talking about why they located to the airpark, is already running on both Scottsdale Airport's (SDL) website and on the city's YouTube channel, and can be seen on Channel 11 in Scottsdale. Scottsdale Airpark is the second-largest employment area in Arizona, with almost 48,000 employees working at businesses, like Discount Tire, GoDaddy, Taser International, Global Dental and WestRoc Hotels and Resorts. Read more about the Scottsdale Airpark.

NBAA NEWS

Speakers Needed for 2013 Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Conference The NBAA Flight Attendants Committee is planning the 2013 NBAA Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Conference, which will be held June 21 and 22 at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. Topics that will be considered for this conference must relate to safety, security, service or professional development as they apply to the professional crew members on business aircraft. In addition, workshops related to these topics will be considered as pre-conference events on June 20. Proposals are due to NBAA by Jan. 25. Learn more about the conference.

NBAA Closed for New Year's NBAA offices will be closed today, Dec. 31, for New Year's Eve, and also on Tuesday, Jan. 1, for New Year's Day, and will reopen at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2. NBAA wishes its Members a happy new year.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SPDP Course Offered on Aircraft Performance Held on Jan. 21 in conjunction with the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, this course is geared toward crew schedulers and dispatchers within Part 91 or 135 flight departments, although it is beneficial for others such as internal travel agents and executive assistants. Attendees gain an understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and how the scheduling function can contribute to their organization's overall mission more efficiently and safely. In addition to covering basic aircraft systems and components, weight and balance, and aerodynamics, attendees will gain knowledge of how aircraft performance-related limitations are affected by atmospheric conditions. Register for the course.

NBAA Flight Plan is a regular podcast featuring business aviation news and information for people on the go. Each issue provides an overview of important developments affecting NBAA Members, and the Association's work to advocate for their interests. Listen to NBAA Flight Plan to hear the latest operational, regulatory and legislative news, and what it means for companies of all sizes, all across the U.S., that rely on business aviation to succeed.

Did you know that NBAA has a variety of standing committees made up of committed, talented and knowledgeable volunteers? NBAA's standing committees work together on behalf of NBAA Members to promote business aviation access, operational excellence, professional development, safety and technical standards, and security. Only employees of NBAA Member Companies are eligible to serve on standing committees – and their participation is vital to the continued success of business aviation.

NBAA Update is the National Business Aviation Association's weekly e-newsletter providing a synopsis of the latest operational, regulatory and legislative news for the business aviation community, as well as information about NBAA activities, Member benefits and upcoming industry events. Share feedback at update@nbaa.org.